18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 5-11, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com COME ACROSS How clever of Squid to reassure us that the rainbow crosswalk will be “straight” (“Squid Fry: Divide and Conquer,” May 29-June 4). Puns are fun, but they don’t change the fact that Monterey’s proposed rainbow crosswalk is a public endorsement of one specific group’s social and political identity—under the guise of inclusivity—while others are left standing at the curb. If rainbow crosswalks are allowed as official city speech, then what about Thin Blue Line crosswalks in honor of law enforcement? Or red, white and blue crosswalks for Independence Day? Or even a gold and white one for local veterans? The answer, of course, is they would be denied—as they already have been. Which means this isn’t about inclusivity; it’s about exclusivity disguised as virtue. The rainbow crosswalk isn’t neutral or whimsical. It’s a political message, and when government chooses to promote one identity group over others, it’s not “welcoming”—it’s discriminatory. Equality under the law means treating all groups equally, not giving special privileges to a select few because it’s fashionable this month. Rosemarie Barnard | Monterey KEEP POLITICS OUT OF IT Interesting being a tourist reading your take on politics of the 100-dayold administration vs. four years of the Politburo (“Squid Fry: Pot, Kettle,” May 22-28). I’m sure the trillions in spending the past four years had nothing to do with the Moody’s downgrade. Besides the politics, your community is awesome!! Thanks for sharing it. Evan Fishman | via email POWERED UP I took advantage of the incentives to get an e-bike in 2020 or 2021 and it has made a huge difference (“Alternative energy incentives are in danger. The coming months may be the time to act,” posted May 29). The bike still cost more than my car (says more about my car, a 31-year-old jalopy, than the bike) but the rebate brought it within range. Having the e-bike made the difference between biking to work a few times a year and biking to work 70-80 percent of the time, since I no longer had to worry about whether I would be able to make it home against the wind. Applying for the rebates was a little difficult to navigate, and it took almost three months to actually receive the funds, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Without the incentives, I would not have even considered getting an e-bike and I’m so glad I did. Nona Childress | Salinas It’s pretty clear that most of the country is not in love with EVs. If rebates are the only incentive to buy them, I think that says a lot. Terry Kosaka | Los Angeles IN THE EVENT OF The reason why the Artichoke Festival failed was because they moved it out of Castroville! (“Financial and volunteer challenges are pushing out small to mid-size community events,” May 29-June 4.) Part of the allure was being in the same area as the artichoke fields themselves, the Giant Artichoke and other Castroville sights. Imagine if they took the Gilroy Garlic Festival out of Gilroy! Dan Herkimer | via web Awwww. I hope everyone enjoys their break of events, recovers and recomposes. These are all wonderful community events. Perhaps there are chefs who are unaware of the available vendor spots available to promote their business while participating in community gatherings. Diane Carmack | via social media ALL’S WELL There’s something rare and hopeful in this moment: cooperation (“In an effort to bring Salinas Valley groundwater into sustainability, annual well fees are coming,” May 22-28). Agencies long operating in silos are moving together, not apart. That’s what progress looks like—optimization not just of well fees, but of purpose. The monitoring gaps remain real. Extending the Upper Valley to the County line surfaced new voids. Mismatched maps between Bulletin 118 and Zone 2C only deepened them. But closing these isn’t just technical work—it’s moral work. It fulfills the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency charge to account for all six subbasins. All means all. No one wants state control—not even the state. But the path to retaining local stewardship runs through discipline. This article focuses on a fee. Necessary, yes. But the deeper matter is seawater intrusion, pushing into the 180 and 400-foot aquifers, inching toward Salinas. We are stewards, not owners. We inherit the ground we stand on, and we are charged to leave it better than we found it. The aquifers don’t care about our deadlines. But the people who depend on them do. Time is short. Tempers may rise. But grace will carry the day, if we let it. Keep eyes on the prize. Do the work. Hold each other to account. And don’t look away. Bill Lipe | Salinas FUNDING FRENZY Social Security isn’t a handout; it’s a promise that millions of us “older Americans” have paid into with every paycheck (“Federal cuts are just too big for personal philanthropy to offset the damage,” posted May 27). The current administration is dismantling an essential public program, closing offices, cutting hotlines, and spreading misinformation to justify these attacks. As elders, we deserve dignity, not broken promises. I encourage everyone—not just us old folks—to speak out against the gutting of a system that has worked well for 90 years, with exceptionally little loss due to waste or fraud. Stop the erosion of Social Security! Joy Rubey | Salinas ROOTS OF IT It was a great weekend at Cali Roots. Thanks Monterey County for the many years of hosting this festival (“From a one-day event, Cali Roots quickly became a festival—with some familiar faces,” posted May 25). Darren Aliga | via social media LETTERS • COMMENTSOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@montereycountynow.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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